These glazed carrots are tender carrot coins simmered in a mixture of brown sugar and butter and topped with a sprinkling of parsley. An easy and inexpensive side dish that’s perfect for a holiday meal or an everyday dinner.
My kids love carrots, especially honey roasted carrots and candied carrots. We also really enjoy simple glazed carrots which take just minutes to put together. This is one of my go-to side dishes!
I always keep a bag of carrots in my fridge. They’re inexpensive, stay fresh for weeks, and you can do so many things with them! One of my favorite ways to prepare carrots is this easy glazed carrots recipe. All you need is 5 ingredients and about 15 minutes and they’re ready to be served.
How do you make glazed carrots?
The first step is to peel and cut your carrots. I typically cut my carrots into slices, but if you’d rather cut them into sticks that’s fine too. You can also use a bag of peeled and cut baby carrots. The carrots simmer in water until tender, then brown sugar, butter and salt go into the pan. Add a bit of parsley if you like, then serve.
Tips for glazed carrots
- Make sure your carrots are cut into uniformly sized pieces so that they cook at the same rate.
- You can substitute honey or maple syrup for the brown sugar.
- I like to add a sprinkling of parsley on top for color, but that’s an optional step.
- You can cut and peel your carrots up to 3 days before you plan to make this recipe.
- Want a hands off approach to glazed carrots? Try my slow cooker glazed carrots.
What are the health benefits of carrots?
Carrots are a super healthy vegetable. Carrots are loaded with fiber, Vitamin K, beta-carotene, and antioxidants. Carrots are also thought to improve your vision, prevent certain types of cancer, slow down the aging process and they also help prevent infection.
These glazed carrots are always on our Thanksgiving table because they’re just so easy to make and it’s one of the few veggie dishes that my kids will happily devour. You could even dress this recipe up for the holidays by using some rainbow colored carrots in shades of purple, yellow, red and white. Rainbow carrots are becoming more and more popular and are now more readily available at most grocery stores.
Whether you choose to serve glazed carrots for a special holiday dinner or serve them alongside a simple roasted chicken on a busy weeknight, this dish is sure to be welcomed by all.
More side dish ideas
- Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Stovetop Mac and Cheese
- Broccoli with Cheese Sauce
- Parmesan Zucchini
- Garlic Butter Mushrooms
Glazed Carrots Video
Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs carrots peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley optional
Instructions
- Place the carrots in a large pan and add 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring the carrots to a simmer
- Cook for 8-10 minutes or until carrots are tender. Drain off any excess water.
- Add the butter, brown sugar and salt to the pan. Stir to coat the carrots.
- Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until a sauce has formed.
- Sprinkle with parsley if desired, then serve.
Crystal says
Followed recipe, no substitutions and used a whole bag of baby carrots. Hubby and I ate all of them. Yum! Thank you!
Susie says
Tried this recipe just as it is and it was delicious! I do believe I will use this sauce for other things.
Jeff Curran says
I just finished them. They are great! The sweet with the butter is just right. Always have carrots, this is fun and easy!
Liz says
Delicious. I made everything just as written. Absolutely fantastic.
Dana Millner says
When I took some cooking classes a few years ago they said that if a recipe lists salt as an ingredient it means kosher, not table salt. Is this true with your recipes, as well?
Sara says
I typically use kosher salt, if it’s important to the recipe then I specify the type!
Lori Anne says
Can i make this early in the day and reheat before serving?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
Sa says
Loved this recipe! I added cinnamon and ginger powder towards the end. Thanks!
Kay says
I served these for a large dinner gathering at my home last night. They were a huge hit! They are really easy and quick to make. Next time I will make them ahead and reheat them that way I can enjoy my guests a bit more rather then standing at the stove. I highly recommend them. I did not change a thing in the recipe.
S.P says
These were a hit!! My son loves carrots. Thank you so much. The perfect amount of sweet & salty. 🙂
Desiree says
Can I bake in the oven
Sara says
I haven’t tried it this way but I think it could work!
Shelley says
That’s what I was thinking, making it ahead of time like I do candied yams and throw in the oven think I’ll try it for sure.
Sara says
That should work fine!
Michelle Nelson says
These are amazing <3
Pascal Ryan says
when you say “drain off any EXCESS water” do you mean all of the water or just some of it?
If I pour off all of the water I will be left with just the carrots in the butter, sugar and salt – it that correct?
Sara says
I drain off all the water or the sauce won’t stick to the carrots!
Randi says
Love this recipe as I always have carrots in the house.
Lynn says
Very good! Even my littlest picky eater said he would eat them again.
Gama says
Delicious! 👍
Amir says
These were incredible! Instead of water, I used 1/4 cup orange juice and 1/4 cup broth. The liquid reduced into a thick, savory-sweet, syrupy goodness! So GOOD!
Darlene says
Thanks for the quick recipe! It gave my bland carrots much needed flavor!
Ashley says
Hi, can I replace the parsley with thyme and rosemary? Can I use white sugar than brown?
Sara says
That should be fine!